proscribe

verb

pro·scribe prō-ˈskrīb

proscribed; proscribing

Synonyms of proscribe next

transitive verb

: to publish the name of as condemned to death with the property of the condemned forfeited to the state

: to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful : prohibit

proscriber noun

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Proscribe vs. Prescribe

Proscribe and prescribe each have a Latin-derived prefix that means "before" attached to the verb "scribe" (from scribere, meaning "to write"). Yet the two words have very distinct, often nearly opposite meanings. Why? In a way, you could say it's the law. In the 15th and 16th centuries both words had legal implications. To proscribe was to publish the name of a person who had been condemned, outlawed, or banished. To prescribe meant "to lay down a rule," including legal rules or orders.

Example Sentences

acts that are proscribed by law regulations proscribe the use of electronic devices on board a plane while it is landing

Recent Examples on the Web At the start of the year, the UK seemed to be on the verge of proscribing the IRGC. —

Dominic Dudley, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Which is a concern with, How are these data systems proscribing my freedoms? —

David Marchese David Marchese, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2023 In the realm of foreign terrorism, Congress has had to proscribe crimes because alien terrorists are non-Americans who predominantly operate outside U.S. jurisdiction, and thus beyond the otherwise limited authority of U.S. law enforcement and courts. —

The Editors, National Review, 19 May 2022 The authors demand that European countries proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist entity. —

Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2023 Designed as a kind of flow sheet, these pages would proscribe the steps that Lacassagne, his lab chief and students would follow in investigating each possible cause of death, with a series of observations to check off along the way. —

Douglas Starr, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2011 Yet Florida’s law abandons this ideal by seeking to proscribe what professors can say on particular topics. —

Michael R. Bloomberg, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Then his opinion takes particular aim at Roe’s core holding, that fetal viability—the ability to survive outside the womb, currently at about the 23rd week of pregnancy—is the decisive boundary, only after which states can proscribe abortions. —

David J. Garrow, WSJ, 4 May 2022 Democrats championed the rights of business owners and employers all week, while Republicans sought ways to proscribe how employers can run their businesses during a pandemic. —

Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proscribe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.